Fluidized catalyst cracking and dehydrogenation of hydrocarbons are important processes in the refining and petrochemical industry, and are used to produce intermediates for generating other hydrocarbons, such as olefins. These processes involve continuously circulating a fluidized catalyst between a reactor and a catalyst regenerator. In an integrated reactor and catalyst regenerator system, deactivated catalyst can be continuously removed from the reactor and transported to and from the catalyst regenerator for regeneration without requiring the shutdown of the reactor to replenish the deactivated catalyst.
Problems in conventional integrated reactor and catalyst regenerator systems include the accumulation of hydrocarbon within the stripper of the fluidized bed reactor. Large differences in the temperatures of the reactor stripper and the catalyst riser of a fluidized bed reactor known in the art result in condensation of hydrocarbon on the surface of the catalyst riser within the reactor stripper. This hydrocarbon buildup causes decreases in internal pressure resulting in mandatory shutdown of the fluidized bed reactor and production loss.
Catalytic reactor and regeneration systems are known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,135,886 and 4,167,553 disclose multiple-stage stacked catalytic reactor systems to be used with catalyst regeneration chambers. U.S. Pat. No. 4,571,326 discloses a flat bed catalytic reactor system. U.S. Pat. No. 6,569,389 discloses a catalyst regenerator for removing hydrocarbon from deactivated catalyst withdrawn from a catalytic reactor.
There remains a continued need in the art for an integrated reactor and catalyst regeneration system that efficiently minimizes hydrocarbon accumulation. The presently disclosed subject matter provides such significant advantages over currently available systems.